Mr. Shepherd, a pioneer homesteader at the turn of the century, shared in the hardships and achievements of the men and women who opened the West. As curator of the Western Development Museum for more than 20 years, he is now dedicated to safeguarding the heritage he helped to create.
Born in Canterbury, England, he settled near Davidson in the fall of 1908 and took up a purchased homestead 50 miles south of Maple Creek in 1913. He became interested in the early history of the Mounted Police and Fort Walsh and working with the late Commissioner Stuart Taylor Wood, he helped with the purchase of the fort site for raising police horses. His knowledge of the history of the West was further enlarged through association with the pioneer cattlemen of the Cypress Hill
He studied agriculture at the University of Saskatchewan, where he met and got to know some of the leading figures in the early history of the University. In 1950, he and his family moved permanently to Saskatoon and became active in the life of the city. He has greeted many thousands of visitors at the Western Development Museum, ranging from Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth and the Duke of Edinburgh to a host of school children and teachers.
He has written two books, “Brave Heritage” and “West of Yesterday” as well as many articles on early Western history and he has appeared several times on national television.
[9 April 1974 News Release].